Kataku
by SynsOrion
Summary: a young girl seeks revenge on kenshin from when he killed her father and before he became the peace-loving wanderer contains a bit of violence, hints at rape please r & r!


**Title**: Kataku

**Author**: SynsOrion

  
**Content**: PG-13: violence, eludes to rape, adult situations.

**Discription**: A girl seeks revenge on Kenshin for killing her father years before.  Kenshin is not owned by me.  Please r & r so I know what you think!

~*~

            Kataku sighed wearily as she looked up at the sign.  A swordsmanship dojo.

            Well, she could continue her hunt for her father's killer after she rested up.  Maybe the master would let her stay for a night or two.

            She walked into the courtyard.

            "Moshi-moshi!  Moshi-moshi!!  Anyone--"

            "ORA!!"

            She watched, opened mouthed, as a man with red hair and a cross-shaped scar on his cheek ran around a corner, tripped, then was attacked by two little girls.

            Kataku giggled.  They must be his younger sisters, she thought to herself.

            Noticing her, the man with red hair stood, brushing off his clothes.

            "Konichiwa."

            She nodded.  "Are you the master of this dojo?"

            "Iie.  Kaoru-san is the master, that she is."

            "Where is she?"

            "Come with me, that you should."

            "Yosh."

            "What is your name?"

            "Kataku."

            "I'm Kenshin, that I am."

            Kataku noted that he had a sword.  For all of his strange actions, she felt that he was hiding the fact that he was a really good samurai.  And she bet that he had noticed her sword as well.

            "Kaoru-san.  This woman is here to see you, that she is.  Her name is Kataku-san."

            "I want to know if you'd be willing to let me stay here for a while.  I do have money to pay and, if you want, I could cook once in a while."

            "How much money are you talking?"

            "A couple thousand yen.  That's enough, ne?"

            "This is great!  We're gonna have money again!  This will pull my dojo out of--"

            "Oi.  Can I stay here or not?"

            Gomen.  Hai."

            "Arigato.  Here."  She took her purse out of her belt.  "All that I need to keep is this.  I'll be able to win this much and more back soon enough."  She took a thousand yen out of her purse before giving it to Kaoru.

            "I wouldn't need this money so badly if it weren't for a few free loaders that I know."  She glared at Kenshin.

            "G-gomen nasai, Kaoru-san!" he stated, backing away, his hands raised.

            Kataku sighed.  "Where do I sleep?"

            "There's one open room.  It's next to Ken-san's.  He'll show you were it is to--"

            "I'd like to get to bed now, if you don't mind.  I'm exhausted."

            Kenshin gave her a nod and a smile.  "Hai.  Come with me then, that you should."

            When they were out of Kaoru's hearing range, Kenshin became.

            "You carry a sword.  There's a law against that."

            "You do as well."

            "Its a reverse blade."

            "Mine isn't.  But you must be a pretty good fighter to trust your with that sword.  You must be pretty fast then, eh?"

            Kenshin said nothing.

            Kataku sighed.  She was about ready to fall asleep and he wasn't that interesting of a conversation partner.  She shrugged, setting a hand on the hilt of her sword.

            "Here's where you'll sleep, that you will."  He pulled the sliding door open for her.

            "Arigato."

            Kenshin nodded as he closed the door, then his eyes narrowed.  She seemed familiar, although he didn't know from where.  Something about her troubled him.

            Kataku lay down and, in minutes, was out like a light.

            "Ora?"  Kenshin peeked into Kataku's room.  Just how long was she gonna sleep anyway?  It had already been three days.  She at least should eat.

            "Kat-san?"

            She sat up, the sheets bunching around her middle and showing bandages that she had rapped around her chest and arms.

            "Nani?" she questioned groggily.

            "Ohayo.  You want to eat yet?"

            She shook her head as she lay back down and rolled onto her stomach.  "Iie.  I'll get up when I'm ready."

            He shrugged.  "I just don't want you to go hungry, that I don't."

            He closed the door again and again he had that unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.  He had met her before.  Demo...where?  When?

            Kataku closed her eyes, but this time sleep refused to come.  She turned onto her back once more, staring at the ceiling.

            That man with red hair seemed familiar to her.  Had she met him before?  She couldn't quite remember if she had or hadn't...

            She groaned angrily at herself as she closed her eyes and forced herself to go back to sleep.

            "Come on, Kat-san.  It's time to get up, that it is!"  Kenshin pushed the sliding door open wide, letting bright sunlight in, and left it like that.

            "You've been in bed five days now, that you have."

            She nodded, sitting up.  "I know how long I've been in bed.  I can keep track of time, you know."

            "One would think that someone would lose track of time when they sleep, that they would."

            "Well, I don't.  Besides, today was the day that I was going to get up anyway."  She stretched her arms out then, spotting another man outside, she waved to him.  "Ko-nichiwa!"

            He walked over, a lopsided grin on his face.  "Why, konichiwa."

            "Sa-Sano-kun!  She isn't wearing anything yet!"

            "Well, that fact doesn't seem to be stopping you from inviting yourself into her room."

            Kenshin turned bright red.

            "Oi!  I am covered, I hope you know!"

            Sanosuke nodded.  "Hai.  You're wearing bands of cloth like me."

            "If I wasn't wearing anything, your red-haired friend wouldn't've lived to see another day," she stated, pulling her top on.  "And now I'm ready for some food!"

            She glared at Sanosuke and Kenshin.  "Would you two mind leaving and close the door behind yourselves."

            Kenshin nodded.  "Hai."  He exited the room, sliding the door closed behind himself.

            Once alone, she stood then pulled on the rest of her clothes.

            "I'll find him, oto-san.  I'll find the man that killed you and I'll avenge your death, don't worry."

            She left the room to go find Kaoru and get some food.

            "Oh!  You're awake!  Come on over!  I just made lunch!"

            Kataku changed her course once she saw Kaoru.

            She sat down opposite Kaoru and in between Kenshin and Sanosuke.

            "Here."

            She took the bowl of rice from Kaoru and took a bite.

            "This tastes awful."

            "Nani?!?!"

            "Where's the kitchen?  I'm gonna make my own food."  She stood.

            A boy pointed to the right.  "It's down that way.  You'll find it.  In fact, even with out tasting your cooking, I think you should be the new cook instead of this ugly woman."

            "What did you say Yahiko?!"

            Kataku ignored the fight that broke out as she walking in the direction that Yahiko had pointed.

            She was back a bit later, now carrying all the food that she had made.

            She sat down between Sanosuke and Kenshin once more, setting a large bowl of rice on the table and an equally large one on her lap.

            Kataku picked up her chopsticks and began eating like there was no tomorrow.

            "Ora?"  Kenshin watched in amazement as the whole bowl was quickly consumed then stared opened mouthed as she began consuming the large amount of rice balls that she had made.

            Yahiko tried some of the rice that she had made.  "Wow!  This is way better than yours or Kenshin's!"  He immediately filled his bowl and began shoveling the rice into his mouth as fast as he could.

            Kaoru tried some as well.   "...You're right...she is a better cook than Ken-san."

            "And a way better cook than you, ugly!"

            Kataku started on the stir-fry that she had made as she watched everyone else start fighting over the food that she had made.

            Finishing her stir-fry she started on the soup and, when that was gone, she stood.  "Much better than what I was eating before."

            She sighed happily.  She had regained her energy and her stomach was full.  What more could she want?

            Her eyes hardened.  She wanted to find her father's killer.

            "Ora?"  Kenshin looked up at her, sensing something amiss.  He inhaled sharply.  Her eyes were now that of a manslayer's.  She was mad, very mad and she looked like she was ready to kill.

            She walked off.

            Kenshin stood quickly, knocking his bowl of rice over as he did so.

            "Ken-kun, what's wrong?" Sanosuke questioned.

            "I fear that Kat-san is going to do something that she might regret, that I do."  He started after her.

            'Battosai,' she thought to herself angrily.  'I will find you, even if you're missing, and I'll kill you just like you did my father.'

            She had trained under a man who had taught her the Hiten Mitsurugi style for ten years.  He had told her that he had also taught the legendary Battosai, but he had left too early to learn everything.  He had told her that she had the desire, like the Battosai had before her, to become strong and to fight.  She had never given up.  Her body had ached all over, her hands had been almost too bloody for her to hold the sword handle, and her master had cut her more than a dozen times during her training, yet she had still refused to give up.  She couldn't afford to.

            "I will find you Battosai!"

            Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks as he heard her shout his old name.  She was after him.  Doshite?

            Sanosuke came up next to him.  "Did I just hear her say Battosai?"

            Kenshin nodded.

            "Why is she after you?"

            Kataku turned around.  Battosai was here?  Of course, that man with red hair and the cross shaped scar on his left cheek.  Why hadn't she seen this sooner?

            She pulled her sword out, clutching her right hand into a fist.  "You, Kenshin, Battosai, or what ever you call yourself now, you killed my oto-san twelve years ago, when I was seven.  I trained under the same person that taught you for ten years after you killed my oto-san.  And now that I've found you, I challenge you to a fight to the death."

            "I decline, that I do."

            "Iie, I can not let you off so easily.  You must pay for your sins.  I don't want to be like you, but I will if it means being able to fight the man that killed my oto-san.  I will use the others here to get to you.  I know that you care for them.  Although I really hate to."  She sighed heavily.  She didn't want to kill anyone, except for him.

            "I still won't fight you, that I won't."

            'Onegai,' she thought to herself.  'Don't make me hurt someone that has no part in this.'

            Kataku sheathed her sword, crouched low, then sprang to the roof of the nearest building and disappeared out of sight.

            "Ken, she's gonna get Kaoru."

            Kenshin nodded.  "I know that, that I do.  But she won't hurt her, that she won't.  She only wants to fight me, that she does."

            They walked back to were Yahiko was.

            "Kenshin!  That girl came and took Kaoru!  They're both gone!"

"I know, that I do."

            "Gomen, Kaoru-san.  Especially after you've been kind enough to let me stay at your dojo, too.  But it can't be helped."

            "Kat-san!  What are you doing?!  Doshite?!"

            Kataku tightened the ropes that she had bound Kaoru with.  Who do you think will come to your rescue?"

            "Kenshin, of course!"

            She nodded with a smile.  "Good."

            "Why is that good?!  Tell me what you're planning to do!"

            "Iie.  Besides, I've already told that to Battosai."

            "Ba--  You know?"

            "Sanosuke gave it away.  Besides, red hair and a scar on his left cheek...it wasn't too hard to put together.  Of course, when I had first seen him he had only one scar, but I knew that he had gotten another, so that it formed a cross shape on his cheek.  Now, try to get some rest and do be quite."

            "But why take me?"

            "Because he won't fight me otherwise."

            "You actually want to fight him?"

            "Hai.  He killed my oto-san.  I'm only out for revenge.  If he dies, then I'm avenged, If I die then nothing will matter any more.  Either way, my problems will be solved."

            "But he's not like that any more.  He's changed.  He's no longer a manslayer."

            "On the outside he has.  Inside, he's still the violent manslayer that I met when I was seven.  Nothing can change that."

            "Demo--"

            "Urase!  I don't want to hurt someone who has nothing to do with this, but I will!"

            Kenshin sighed.  Everyone else was asleep.  He crept out of his room, his reverse-blade sword at his side, as it always was.

            He pushed the sliding door of his room open and looked out at the dimly light grass.  There was a full moon out and that would make it easier for him to find Kataku.

            He found her foot prints easy enough and followed them, hoping that he had been right about her not hurting Kaoru.

            After about a half an hour of walking he saw the glint of Kataku's sword blade in the moon light.  She appeared to be sleeping, with her sword with her.

            Yeah, sleeping with one eye open like he had always done when he had been Battosai.

            "I'm glad you finally decided to come, Battosai."

            "I still don't want to fight you, that I don't.  We can settle this peacefully, that we can."

            "Iie."  She stood.  "Kaoru-san," there was a muffled sound.  "I tied her up, Battosai.  She is hanging from this tree with only a rock to stand on.  She has her wrists under the rope that is around her neck to stop herself from being strangled.  Demo, if I were to take the stone away, how long do you think that she will last like that?  Her strength would soon give out and her wrists would be crushed, then she would die from suffocation.  I shall leave her like this for now, with the stone to hold her up, demo, if you don't give it your all, I will push the stone away.  She won't have more than ten to twenty minutes then."

            "There is still enough time to give up, that there is."

            "I won't give up.  This is to the death, remember?"

            Kenshin nodded gravely.  He knew.  But, thankfully, Kaoru still lived.  She had not been hurt, yet.

            They both took their starting stances, each noticing that the other was in the same stance.

Kataku didn't wait for anything to be said, demo, instead, darted forward.

            Kenshin was just able to avoid the blade.  She was quick, very quick.  He took up a defensive stance this time, his sword held out straight in both hands.

            Kataku nodded.  "That slows your attack but heightens your ability to block my attacks."  But she had found ways around that highly stance.

            She took up the same stance that she and Kenshin had both had at the beginning of the battle and, again, darted forth without 

            Just when she was within striking distance of Kenshin, however, she ducked around him with lightning speed and came up behind.  Turning her sword over to the dull side, she struck him in the back, full force, winding him.

            He went to one knee, trying to regain the breath that had been forced violently from his body.

            "You're not using your full potential, Battosai.  And, however much I really hate doing this, I see that I have to.  You've left me no choice."  She pushed the stone out from under Kaoru's feet and a muffled cry ensued.

            'Onegai,' Kataku thought to herself.  'Don't die.'

            "I wish you weren't doing this."  Kenshin's eyes were hard and angry; that of a manslayer's.

            "I'm glad that you've finally decided to fight, Battosai.  If you don't defeat me, your woman will die."

            Kenshin turned his reverse blade over.  "If you don't stop..."

            "Nani?  You'll be forced to kill me?  I welcome my death just as much as I welcome yours.  After all, I have nothing to lose.  You saw to that twelve years ago."

            She darted towards him, dodged around his swinging blade, and slashed him through the shoulder.

            She stopped, gasping when she found that her had struck her in the arm.

            She ignored the pain.

            Kenshin closed his eyes.  Had her heart hardened so much that she couldn't see the truth?  He sighed heavily.  He no longer wanted to kill.  Demo, Kaoru...time was running out for her.  And, although he hated to admit it, he was pretty evenly matched.  She was just as strong and just as fast as he was, not to mention that her anger made her even faster and stronger.  Just knocking her out would take about as long as Kaoru had to live.

            "Kat-san, what good would it do to kill my friend?  It won't bring your oto-san back."  It was Sanosuke, he had fallowed Kenshin.

            Kataku's eyes watered.  "I know..."  Then her eyes hardened.  "Demo, I don't care!"  She shot towards Kenshin.  He dodged the hit, striking her in the leg.

            "I can't give up, not now..."  She stood, her legs shaking violently.

            She went for Kenshin again and this time hit him in the arm.  But he struck her in the back of the head with the butt of his handle.  Kataku went down, her vision going black just before she lapsed into unconsciousness.

            Kenshin cut Kaoru down then sheathed his sword as he bent to undo the bindings around her wrists and ankles then pulled off the gag.

            She inhaled deeply a couple times to get her breath back before talking.  "I-I'm glad that you didn't kill her."

            "She's a good person, that she is.  She just has a few things that she needs to work out like we all do, that she does."

            "You want to take her back with us to the dojo?"

            "Hai, Sano, that I do."

            "Okay then."  He picked up Kataku's limp form.

            "Ora?"  Kenshin bent, picking up her sword.  "I guess that we'll bring this back as well."

            Kataku sat up groaning as she did so.  She had such a throbbing headache...

            'Oh, god...' she thought to herself.  She had lost.  Demo, why hadn't he killed her?

            She glanced around the room, spotting her sword in a far off corner.

            Kataku got shakily to her feet and went to get it.  She wanted an honorable death; a death by the sword, demo, if he wasn't willing to give her that, then she would do it herself.

            She sat down on her bed, the sword grasped in her hands as she put it over her chest.

            The door to the room slid open.

            "Kat-san!  Iie!"  Kenshin dropped the tray that he was holding, sending water flying every where.

            She looked up in surprise as he took the sword from her.

            "Give me back my sword!"

            "Iie.  I know what you're planning to do, that I do.  I didn't spare your life just so that you could throw it away, that I didn't."

            "I didn't defeat you so I'm not worthy of--"

            "Kat!  A lot of people didn't defeat me, that they didn't!  When I was Battosai, I killed them, that I did.  That's not a fact that I'm proud of.  But I've also defeated a lot of people as Kenshin, that I did.  And they all live.  I've changed my ways, Kat.  I don't kill any more.  I'm sorry that I killed your oto-san, that I am.  But, by becoming a wanderer, I've decided to try to save those that I meet from oppression.  It's the only way that I can try to repent for all of the innocent people that I killed, that it is.  Onegai, try to find it in your heart to forgive me."

            She looked at his face, wide-eyed, then turned away.  "It's not that easy," she stated, gripping the sheets tightly in her hands.  All the pain that he had caused her...  How could she possibly forgive him just like that?

            "Oh!  She's awake!"  A woman with long black hair walked in.

            Kenshin smiled at Kataku.  "Kat, this is Megumi-san.  She's a great doctor, that she is."

            Kataku said nothing as Megumi knelt next to her and began redressing her wounds.

            "You're healing well."

            She sighed heavily.  "What do I owe you for your care?"

            "Hmm?"

            "What do I owe you?  Don't make me repeat myself.  I hate to repeat myself."

            Megumi gave her a smile.  "You're one of darling Ken's friends.  So it's free."

            "I'm not his friend.  How much is the treatment?"

            "Ora?"

            The woman doctor looked up in surprise at Kataku's apathetic face.  "D-demo, he's worried--"

            Kataku glared at her, cutting off the rest of her words.

            "I-I guess fifty yen."

            "You're not very expensive are you?"

            "I have to keep the prices low for the villagers."

            "Quickly finish what you're doing so I can get the money for you."  She turned to look at Kenshin.  "Do you or your friend, Sanosuke, know a good gambling place?"

            "Sano knows, that he does."

            "Good.  You finished yet?"

            Megumi nodded.  "But I should advise against too much movement."

            "I'll take that into consideration," Kataku answered tersely as she pulled on her clothes, strapping her scabbard to her belt.  She took her sword from Kenshin, sheathing it as she did so.

            She left the room, looking about for Sanosuke.

            Instead she spotting the spiky-haired kid that had pointed her to the kitchen.

            "Oi, where's that big guy, Sanosuke, or what ever his name is?"

            "He isn't here."

            Kataku frowned.  "This doesn't help me out."

            "Doshite?  What do you want?"

            "I'm looked for a place to gain money, quickly."

            "You mean, like gambling?"

            She nodded.  "Hai, exactly that."

            "I know a place then."

            "You do?"

            Yahiko nodded.  Hai, he knew a place.  The same place that he had worked at to pay off a debt that hadn't even existed.  "How good are you?"

            "I never lose."

            Yahiko smiled to himself.  It would serve them right to be out by a woman.  Demo, they always made weighted dice and stuff.  She wouldn't have a chance.  "And what if the game is fixed?"

            "I still won't lose.  I never do."

            Yahiko shrugged.  "Yosh.  Fallow me then."

            "Here, this is it."

            Kataku nodded as she slid the door open to find a gang of men.

            "Looks like Yahiko's come back to us, mina."

            "The first one to touch him gets to feel the sting of my sword.  Now, I've come here to gamble.  You guys wouldn't mind gambling with me, would you?"

            "Iie, you want to gamble with dice then?"  She nodded and the men started snickering.

            "Demo, I would like to see the dice first.  If I don't like yours, we're using mine."  She sat down on one of the cushions.

            "I think that you're a little bit out of your league, girl--" one of them stated with a laugh, setting a hand on her shoulder.

            "Take your hand off me.  I don't carry a sword around for the fun of it, you know."

            Instead, he sat down next to her.  "I think you like me."

            "I said don't touch me."

            Yahiko sat down next to her and looked at the man that had his arm around her.  "I'd be careful if I were you."

            "Don't tell me what to do, brat!"  He hit Yahiko upside the head.

            "I said not to touch him, and take your hand off me.  I've warned you plenty of times."  Kataku stood.

            "Come on!  Don't be so co--"

            She flicked her sword upward and it hit him in the stomach, hard.

            The man gasped in pain as he reeled backwards.

            Kataku sat back down.  "Now, let me see the dice or I'll closed this place down, and I mean it."

            A man with his hair slicked upward sat on the cushion opposite her.  "I don't think that you need to see the dice."

            "Fine."

            A man off to the side put two dice into a cup, shook them, then slammed the cup down.  "Call it."

            "Cho."

            Her opponent growled angrily as he grudgingly said 'han'.

            The cup was lifted off, revealing double ones.

            "I win."

            Before anyone could say anything else, she had pulled her sword and cut both the dice in half.

            "Weighted dice," she stated angrily.  "But I had already figured that out.  Usually, if dice are weighted then it's double ones.  Now we play with my dice, for a much fairer game."

            She sat back down, throwing her dice to the man with the cup.

            "My bet is a thousand yen.  You better bet the same amount," she told her opponent angrily.  "Or are you guys poor?"

            "You don't mind if we check out your dice, do you?"

            She shook her head.  "Not at all."

            They rolled the dice a couple times, trying to find a pattern.  Demo, the numbers were always different and didn't always add up to be just even or odd.  They were real dice.

            "Now, are you gonna bet a thousand yen, or not?  I could get you in trouble with the authorities for fixing your games.  Demo, why should I go to someone else when I'm perfectly capable of being the authority figure."

            "Fine, I'll bet a thousand yen as well."

            The dice were shook then the cup was placed down on the floor.

            "Han," she stated firmly.

            "Cho."

            The cup was slowly lifted off, revealing a three and a four.

            She smiled.  "I win.  I'll bet the thousand that I just won."

            He growled, angry at being out done by a mere woman.  "I bet a thousand as well."

            The dice were shook and the cup placed down.

            "Cho," Kataku said.

            "Han."

            Again the cup was lifted and this time there was a six and a two.

            "I win again.  I'll bet the two thousand that I've won," she declared.

            "I'll bet two thousand as well."

            The man shook the dice then slammed the cup down on the floor.

            "Cho," she said without delay.

            "Han."

            It turned out to be two threes.

            "I've won four thousand now."  She smiled slyly at her opponent.  "And I'll bet it all as well."

            "I'll bet four thousand yen."

            Once more the dice were shook and the cup was put down on the floor.

            "Han," she stated.

            "Cho."

            The dice displayed a six and a five.

            "And that makes my winnings eight thousand yen.  I'll only bet a thousand and fifty this time."

            Her opponent quirked an eyebrow, amazed at the drop in her bet.  "I'll bet the same amount."

            The whole thing was repeated.

            "Han," she said, sighing.  This wasn't very entertaining.

            "Cho."

            The numbers turned out to be a one and a five.

            She smiled sweetly at her opponent.  "You owe me nine thousand fifty yen.  Pay up."

            "I don't have it."

            Her eyes hardened.  "It's not smart to bet money that you don't even have.  Pay up now or I'll destroy your little fort."

            "How about once more.  You can have twice the money or you'll be our slave for the rest of your life?"

            "Do I look like some sort of fool to you?  Iie, I think not.  That isn't gonna happen.  Besides, you owe me all the money that I want for now.  Now, do be kind and go get if for me before I have to use force to get it."

            The man nodded dumbly as he saw her hand go to her hilt.  He went into a back room and, a few minutes later he came back with what he owed her.

            "Take it and don't come back."

            "I can do that."  She stood, taking the money and, when she was almost to the door she turned around.  "Oh, and one more thing."

            "Nani?"

            "I'd like my dice back."  She saw the confused looks that she was getting from every one, even Yahiko, so she explained.  "They're the only pair that I own.  Besides, they had been my father's and they're important to me."

            "Here!"  The man with the cup threw them at her.

            She caught them both in one hand then gave him a smile.  "Arigato!  Jamata ne!"

            Yahiko closed the door behind himself a huge grin on his face.  "That was so awesome!  Teach me how you did it!"

            She held out the dice to him, a sly smile on her face.  "It was my oto-san.  He helps me win!"

            "Your...oto-san...?!" he questioned, his voice full of disbelief.

            She nodded with a smile.  "Hai.  The dice aren't weighed but I get the even or odd call that I say every time.  It's great.  I'll show you when we get back to the dojo."  She could hear something.  "Yahiko!  Look out!"  She pushed him down, and stood over him.

            Kataku grunted in pain as a large rock slammed into her back.

            Yahiko stared wide-eyed up at her.  That could've killed him, she had saved him.

            Demo, another one quickly followed the first.  It struck her in the head, hard.  She collapsed onto Yahiko.

            "Run, Yahiko.  Save your-self..."

            He got up, and could see the men from the Kanto Shuei coming up the hill towards them.  He wouldn't be able to get her away by himself in time.  He had to get help.

            Yahiko dashed off.

            "Let him go.  We have what we want for now."

            Kataku had returned to consciousness.  Demo, she refused to open her eyes.  All she had on were her bindings, nothing else.  At least she hadn't been unconscious for a long time.

            "Well, are we gonna just do nothing to her?"

            "I want her to be awake when it happens."  She recognized the voice as the man who had been her opponent.

            She had to try to hold out longer.  Maybe she could come up with a means of escape.  It would be hard though, there was a man on each arm and each leg, holding them down tight.

            She calmed her breathing.  What could she do?

            "Okay, use the water."

            'Water?!' Kataku thought in surprise.  Well, that would 'wake her up' any way.

            She opened her eyes.  "Let go of me!"  She pulled at the hands that were holding her down.

            "Good.  spread her legs apart."

            She gasped in fright.  She was afraid, really afraid.  Of what they could do to her, of what they could've already done to her.  She tightly, tears at the corners.  This couldn't be happening...

            "Leave her alone!"

            'Ken...?' she thought to herself.  Iie, she was imagining it.

            "I said to leave her alone, or have you forgotten me already?"

            "W-we found her first.  You're not gonna steal her from us before we have our fun."

            "Iie, I've known her for about a week now, that I have.  Take your hands off her."

            She heard him pull out his sword.

            "I said to take your hands off her, that I did."

            'Doshite?  Why are you fighting for me?  I tried to kill you, Kenshin.  So why?'

            Kataku pulled her arms and legs away from the now frightened men as she sat up.  She felt so ashamed.  Ashamed of what Kenshin could see now and ashamed of the fact that she had tried to kill him before and now he was rescuing her.

            She curled herself into a ball.

            "Come on Kat.  You should come with me, that you should."

            She studied the pattern on the floor.  "I don't have my clothes."  'Iie, doshite...why did you come to save me?'  That's what she wanted to ask.

            She felt him drape her clothes over her shoulders.

            "Everyone get out of here, that you should.  Let Kat get dressed in peace."

            The men did as they were told, slowly filing out of the room.

            She sighed heavily as she pulled her clothes on and tied her billowy pants up around her waist.  She found her sword in a corner noticed that, for some reason, they hadn't taken her purse of the money that she had won from them.

            Kataku walked out of the building, saying nothing to anyone.  Her back hurt, her head hurt, demo, her pride hurt most of all. 

            Kataku couldn't sleep and she hadn't eaten in about five days.  Her stomach was just as empty as she felt.

            It hadn't been those men that had made her act this way, however.  It had been Kenshin.  He had saved her, even though he knew that she hated him for killing her father.  Maybe he had changed.  Maybe he wasn't the manslayer that she had met when she had been seven.

            She made sure that all the shutters were closed once more before she sat down in a corner and, for the first time since her father's death, cried tears of emotional pain.

            "Shouldn't we check on her?  She hasn't come out for five days, Ken-san.  I'm starting to worry."

            "Daijobu, Kaoru-san.  She just needs some time alone, that she does.  I think that she's finally seen the truth, that she has, demo she doesn't want to admit it to herself.  I think that it's hard for her to accept, that I do."

            "Shouldn't she eat though?"

            "We can't force her to eat, that we can't.  When she comes to terms with everything that's happened then she'll be willing to do more."

            Kataku stood, opening the shutters to one of the windows and looked outside.  She was so hungry and it looked like such a nice day outside.  She had to get something to eat today.

            Besides that, she had to tell Kenshin that she was sorry and that she forgave him.

            She sighed as she glanced back out her sword that was sitting in a corner.  She went and got it.  Old habits were hard to break.  She felt safer with it than without.

            She pushed aside the sliding door and walked into the sun light.

            Yahiko looked up as he heard her exit the room.  "Kat."

            "Yahiko, ne?  Where's Kenshin?  I want to talk to him."

            "Follow me."

            When she spotted Kenshin she walked up to him.

            "Ora?"

            "Listen, I want to say that I-I forgive you for, you know, killing my father.  You really have changed.  You might still be a manslayer at heart, but I can't deny the fact that you're a good person now."

            "Doshite?"

            "I-I judged you wrongly.  I wasn't very nice to you, or grateful.  If anyone one deserves to be hurt or such, it's me."

            "What are you going to do now, Kat?"

            "I don't want to trouble you guys any more.  I guess that I'll be leaving.  I'll become a wanderer like yourself and try my best to do what you do.  Beyond that, I don't know."

            "You can stay here if you'd like."

            "Kaoru-san?"

            She nodded.

            "Even after I did that to you?"

            "You were mad.  It's all right now.  Ken-san was right.  You're a good person at heart."

            "I didn't really want to hurt you.  I was just looking for a way to make Bat--gomen, Kenshin, fight me."

            "Daijobu.  You were just blinded by your anger."

            "Arigato, Kaoru-san."

            "Now, do you wanna eat something?"

            "It's alright of I make my own food, ne?"

            Kaoru nodded.  "Demo, if you're gonna cook then you have to make food for all of us."

            Kataku shrugged.  "Yosh.  I can do that."

            Sanosuke leaned back, resting a hand on his stomach.  "I'm stuffed.  That was great, Kat."

            "Arigato."

            "Boy!  I sure am glad that you decided to come out of your room.  I didn't want to die from food poisoning," Yahiko declared.

            "Yahiko!!"

            "This is good, that it is," Kenshin stated, smiling.

            "This is very good!" Suzume added.

            "Very good!" Ayame chimed in.

            "It is good."

            "Arigato, Megumi-san."

            "Hai, way better than my cooking.  Oi!  There's an idea!  Why don't you be our cook?"

            "Me?"

            "Of course!"

            "And you could teach me the Hiten Mitsurugi style that both you and Kenshin know."

            "Iie, Kaoru-san is your master.  She'll teach you a style that well help you protect others."


End file.
